Back from Hiatus

It's been awhile since I last updated. Actually, I feel generally my postings have become quite sporadic, which is unfortunate.

I spent the past two weeks in Australia, and have thankfully picked up neither their slang nor their accent. But I do like how they occasionally refer to their president/prime minister person as 'Johnnie Howard'. I wish we could refer to George Bush as Georgie Bush. It seems so fitting. Rather like the name of a petulant child.

Being in Australia I was reminded that while the US may not be winning the war on terror, they sure are winning the culture war. 'Neighbors' may in fact be the only original Australian programming on TV. The show that took up the most airtime was 'The Simpsons', if there is a show more synonymous with American culture, I would love to hear about it. In fact, in Australia, I was able to watch such fabulous and stimulating programming as 'The Real World Las Vegas Reunion' show. I *love* America.

I also had a chance to catch 'Knocked Up'. Aside from the fact that the plot line was completely unbelievable, oh and that live birth scene (ew! totally gratuitous and unnecessary... I think I have been scarred for life... no wonder Anne Hathaway turned down the part...), the movie was pretty amusing. And Izzie was far more likable in the movie than Gray's itself.

I also had a chance to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef which led to the opportunity to drink large quantities of Pacific Ocean water. All I can say is... mmm... tasty! The reef was cool though. I think I was stalked by a somewhat inquisitive Zebra fish.

The Dumbing Down of America

I was talking to some friends earlier in the week about the increasing sophistication of certain mainstream Hollywood movies. Movies like Babel, Little Miss. Sunshine etc. are a definite departure from the American Pie cliche. Part of this could be due to Americans growing appreciation of cinema as an art form, or as my more cynical, often international, friends suggest, the fact that Hollywood generates the majority of its revenues overseas where audiences crave a more substantive product. So imagine my surprise after a year of great movies, 300 has just broken the March box office records with its use of blood, gore, violence, CGI, and use of Muslims as the big bad.

The Mistress of Spices: Not Remotely Spicy

Last night, I watched The Mistress of Spices. The latest (and certainly not greatest) work of the director behind Bend it Like Beckham, which I enjoyed immensely. The movie fails on virtually all counts...

1. Aishwarya Rai is undoubtedly beautiful. However, in this movie she is not supposed to be beautiful. The Mistress of Spices is supposed to appear to be old, wrinkly, and rather unattractive. It's what makes the love story more compelling. But in this case, old, wrinkly, and ugly means being Aishwarya Rai. If only I was so lucky.
2. The acting was terrible. Amongst the leads, both Aishwarya Rai and Dylan McDermott appeared to be reading off of cue cards and seemed stiff. The supporting cast was not particular good either, accents were either too extreme, out of place, or temporary.
3. The special effects were by no means compelling. They were worse than those in the movie Carrie, which is at least 20 years older.
4. The scenes at the end where Aishwarya was wearing that red outfit were ridiculous. Even the divas on dynasty wouldn't have dared to put such a thing on. It isn't surprising to be at all that this movie got so little play amongst US audiences.

One thing I will say is that the settings were beautiful. I liked the way the spice store looked. The colors were amazing. Still that is not enough to make up for a tepid love story and poor acting. Do not waste your time on this movie. Ash fans are better off downloading hindi movie clips of her dancing instead.